How to Talk to Your Parents About Legal Cannabis

It’s no secret that legalization has brought massive changes in public opinion of cannabis. When most of our parents were growing up, marijuana was just a subculture, and wasn’t mainstream or as commonly discussed as it is now. Consumption methods were limited to smoking, or eating a pot brownie when a measured “dose” was not even a thing. Even with legalization and so many new products and ways to consume, there’s still often a generation gap and stigma around marijuana when it comes to sharing the love with your parents. So we’ve put together some information to help you answer questions your parents may have about the modern world of cannabis.

How can I get the medicinal benefits of marijuana without the psychoactive high?

The cannabis plant contains many different cannabinoids. The most well-known, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), has numerous potential medicinal benefits and is also the only cannabinoid known to produce the “psychoactive high” commonly associated with marijuana. Cannabidiol (CBD), which produces no psychoactive effect, is the second most common cannabinoid, and has a variety of medical benefits too. Preliminary research tells us that CBD can be effective in treating over two hundred ailments, ranging from everyday aches and pains to anxiety disorders and epilepsy.*

There are all kinds of CBD-rich products available that don’t produce a psychoactive effect: Infusiasm’s Tonic Drops tincture, Five Leaf topicals, and Full Melt CBD Caramel edibles are just a few options for those seeking a purely medicinal experience that won’t get you high. While the effects of edibles tend to last longer and affect the whole body, tinctures are a more subtle option that doesn’t last as long but still works on the whole body. Topical ointments don’t last as long as edibles either, and provide localized relief wherever they are applied.

Why do all products contain THC, even non-psychoactive ones?

It’s a common misconception that CBD is the medicinal cannabinoid and THC is the recreational cannabinoid. In reality, THC has many beneficial properties, and CBD and THC work best when operating together. They enhance each other’s effects by working with the CB1 and CB2 receptors in your endocannabinoid system; this effect is generally referred to as the entourage effect. While a 50:1 tincture doesn’t contain enough THC to produce a high, for example, it has just enough THC to work with the CBD in order to maximize benefits for the user.

I really want to try edibles, but have heard of people having a bad experience. Where do I start?

While edibles in the past were very unpredictable, one benefit of our well-regulated legal industry is consistency. Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division sets the recommended edible dosage at 10mg. However, for beginners this can still be too much. Microdosing edibles is becoming increasingly popular in the industry: Try Incredibles 2mg mints for a light, discrete way to consume, or Wana's drops, which come in 5mg pieces and a variety of delicious flavors. Both options offer a sublingual delivery method, which is typically felt much faster than digestible edibles and makes it easier to dose accurately. For edibles that metabolize through the liver — like gummies or cookies — start by cutting the recommended dosage in half and waiting a couple of hours for the effects before consuming more. Remember, low and slow is the way to go!

Why do they check my ID so much at the store? Where is my information going?

This is an understandable concern, especially for parents visiting from out of state. Since cannabis is still classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic by the federal government, many of our parents are still feeling paranoia from the War on Drugs. Rest assured, the recreational cannabis industry does not hold or track customer data. We have several safeguards in place to protect the community and our business, and part of that process includes thorough and frequent ID checks. If you’re visiting a dispensary with your parents for the first time, it’s probably a good idea to give them a heads up that their ID will need to be checked both when they enter the store and when it’s their turn to enter the budroom. When purchasing, our point of sale system requires us to scan their ID to ensure we are selling to someone legally allowed to purchase, and that they are within their daily purchasing limits.

What’s it like to shop at a dispensary?

Whether your parents visit a dispensary that you recommended, the one closest to their house, or one that’s highly-rated online, you’ll be able to rely on the staff to help you through the entire process. A budtender will meet with you one-on-one to discuss your needs, show you options, and generally guide you through your purchase. As long as you’re ready to ask questions and talk about what sort of experience you’re interested in, your budtender can help find the perfect products for you.

*LivWell makes no claims regarding the health or medical benefits of marijuana. Individual results may vary.

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It’s thanks to the fun, passionate, and knowledgeable staff in our retail stores that LivWell is where we are today, no doubt about it. Budtenders are deep wells of cannabis knowledge and are a huge help to our customers, who rely on them to answer any questions or concerns on a daily basis. That’s why we asked one of our seasoned budtenders to tell us about the top questions they get at the dispensary! Bianca Box, or “Box” as she’s known around the store, is a budtender at our dispensary located in Fort Collins.

Here are the top questions Box gets asked on the daily.

1. What's your most affordable and highest THC flower?

Box: This one’s always number one, and I get it. For a lot of people, at the end of the day it's about the best bang for your buck. I think our pre-weigh flower is a pretty great option for them. Overall, the average THC level of our flower tends to run between 16–20%.

2. Does THC percent really matter?

Box: I always tell customers THC percentage doesn’t really matter. On some level, yes, it’s good to have a certain amount of THC in the strain—otherwise it won’t be psychoactive at all. But some of my all-time favorite strains, like Durban Poison or Jilly Bean, usually test around 13–15%. These strains treat me amazingly well, way better than a Ghost Train Haze at over 30%, for example. The strain that works best for you depends on your own body, too. So no, it doesn’t really matter, but what does matter is that the strain has a variety of cannabinoids and terpenes all working together with the THC. At the end of the day we all have different experiences with this plant, so you’ve got to explore to find which one is best for you.

3. Do you get hight at work?

Box: Haha, the answer is definitely NO. We’re absolutely not allowed to get high before or during work—it could cost me my job—and I don’t want to do that! Besides, I can get high after, so I just wait until then. It’s kind of like being a bartender—you don’t want a drunk bartender, right?

4. Do you have any flower strains that are high in CBD?

Box: This one gets asked a lot too, and I usually direct them to our Pre ‘98 Bubba Kush strain —it’s a smooth hitting, CBD-heavy strain. Our selection does rotate constantly depending on what we’re growing at the time, so it’s a good idea to call ahead and check if your dispensary is stocked with some Pre ‘98 beforehand.

5. If I'm from out of state what's my limit on how much I can purchase?

Box: Since we border Wyoming and a couple of other “dry” states, we get asked this a lot, especially up in Fort Collins and around Garden City. Recently the law was changed to an ounce a day for all recreational customers in Colorado, no matter where you’re from.

6. What's your favorite way to get high?

Box: It really depends on the day for me. Or what time of the day it is. Or what mood I’m in, you know? But overall I’d say my favorite way to smoke is with a bowl. I love the little chillums and hand-blown bowl pieces—you can pack it, hit it a couple of times, put it down, do something, come back to it… I just like that process. Unless I have a bunch of people around, then I like joints, because you can pass it off and forget about it for a little bit and come back to it. But overall, bowls are it for me. There’s something to be said about hitting it and quitting it sometimes.

7. What's the difference between indica, sativa and hybrid?

Box: When I get asked this one, I like to give them a little summary of the differences, unless they want to get more in depth. Sativas are generally more cerebral, energetic, daytime “let’s get shit done” types of strains (I’ve written papers on sativas for my grad school program, actually!). Indicas tend to be better for getting “in da couch,” more body relaxation. A lot of people use these for nighttime relaxation or for managing stress. Then a hybrid is a combination of both, where you can still be productive, but you’re also more relaxed about it!

I like to personalize these conversations too by letting them know that I mostly smoke sativas. If they ask me what individual indica strains I like, I’ll tell them I don’t know, BUT my coworker does, so let’s find out what they think! Customers like it when we make shopping a homier experience and get real, honest opinions from our team—this way, we’re all engaged in the process together.

8. Do you like your job?

Box: I love my job! It’s super fun. I mean, where else can I sit here, talk shit with you, sell you weed, and have you tip me about it? Nowhere! It’s great. I love it.

9. What are dabs? I thought dabbing was a dance that kids do.

Box: I hear this a lot from older folks. While it’s also a dance that the kids do, dabs are a concentrate. There are different types of concentrates, but generally they are a viscous, waxy texture. I like to show our customers the different ways to consume concentrates, so I’ll pull out one of our terp pens (which are amazing, by the way) along with a dab rig and torch to show them a couple of different ways to take dabs. For newbies, I recommend the terp pen. It’s a super simple method that anyone can use. All you have to do is turn it on, dip the tip in your dab container while inhaling, activating the terp pen coils—and that’s that. The dab rig is another popular method, although it takes a little more time and resources. For more information on dabbing, our LivWell concentrates blog post gets into the nitty gritty.

Up at CSU Fort Collins, Biana is a Master of Social Work graduate student. She stepped down from a nonprofit leadership position to go to grad school full time, but still wanted a fun job that would keep her engaged with the community while studying. Outside of school and work, she volunteers as a mentor for at-risk youth in Larimer County. For fun, she’s a big fan of fantasy and sci fi books, and loves diving into the immersive worlds of RPG video games like Elder Scrolls and Fallout.

Picture a cup of drip coffee, versus a shot of espresso. That’s basically what we’re getting at when it comes to traditional marijuana flower versus cannabis concentrates. While their unfamiliar form can seem confusing at first, these products bring plenty of unique benefits to the table.

Concentrates are more potent.

The most notable difference between concentrates and their flower counterparts is potency. While flower tends to run between 10-25% THC, concentrates usually fall between 50-80%. This is the biggest source of intimidation: as potency goes up, it can become more difficult to find the correct dose.

Concentrates provide a cleaner smoking experience.

Concentrates are produced by extracting cannabinoids and terpenes from cannabis flower in a process that typically uses a solvent, like CO2 or butane. During this extraction process, plant material is removed, and the desired THC and CBD compounds are isolated. Since smoking plant material is not ideal for our lungs, this provides us with a much cleaner smoking experience. On the other side of this, some concentrates can contain residual solvents, so make sure the products you purchase are tested like LivWell’s.

Concentrates have lots of different names.

In addition to potency, another reason that cannabis concentrates can be intimidating is the sheer number of options that exist. Because “concentrate” has become the broad term for a variety of extracts, things can get confusing. Let’s lay it all out.

Wax, crumble, shatter, sugar, and oil typically refer to a concentrate’s texture. These textures are usually chosen based on individual preferences and method of use (we’ll explain this in a hot minute).

Wax concentrates resemble the texture of candle wax. It’s often separated into other names, like sugar, budder, or crumble, depending on the consistency.

Shatter is a solid material resembling a thin, honey-colored shard of glass. When touched, shatter easily breaks into pieces, hence the name.

Distillates are a refined version of cannabis extract. These have a much more liquid-like consistency compared to wax or shatter, and are most often used in vaporizer pens.

Live Resin resembles the texture of wax or shatter. It’s a special type of concentrate created by freezing just-harvested cannabis before starting the extraction process. This allows the plant to retain far more terpenes. With more terpenes present, not only is the flavor and aroma profile significantly greater, but users also achieve a fuller psychoactive experience as terpenes interact with cannabinoids like THC and CBD in the body.

How cannabis concentrates are consumed.

Dabbing:

The process of applying a concentrate to a heated nail (it looks like a nail, hence the name) and inhaling through a glass piece, similar to a bong. This method has quickly gained traction among more experienced cannabis users. While the unique equipment makes for a slightly less accessible option, dabbing is one of the more efficient ways of receiving a potent hit of cannabinoids.

Vaporizing:

One of the most popular methods for consuming concentrates is with a vaporizer pen. There are two main options when it comes to pens: distillate cartridges, which are individually packaged and generally less potent than wax or shatter, and concentrate pens, which are compatible with any wax, shatter, live resin, etc. Regardless of which option you choose, vaporizer pens provide one of the more convenient methods for concentrate use.

Now that you know all the ins-and-outs of the concentrate world, it’s time to go forth and prosper! Don’t be afraid to test out different textures, strains, and brands; like a fingerprint, no two people have the same experience with cannabis. Self-exploration is an important aspect of successful cannabis use, and concentrates are certainly no exception.

If you’re taking the time to smell cannabis flower before deciding which strain to bring home, you may have noticed a distinct smell. So what exactly is the reason why some strains smell so unique? The short answer is terpenes.

Terpenes are Aromatic Oils Found in Plants.

Terpenes are a naturally occurring substance found in all kinds of plants, think lavender, basil, hops, roses, cloves, etc. They’re the aromatic oil that gives all varieties of plants their distinctive smells. In addition to giving plants their unique scents, terpenes act as a preservation tool for many plants by attracting pollinators and warding off any hungry herbivores looking for a snack. But when it comes to the cannabis flower in particular, terpenes serve another purpose as well.

Terpenes are a Better Indicator of a Strain's Effects.

You may be familiar with the common differences between indica, sativa and hybrid classifications. However, terpenes may be the best indicator of what smoking a strain will actually be like.

More than just smelling pleasant, terpenes are also a major reason why some cannabis strains, such as Kosher Kush, are more calming while others, like Mob Boss, tend to be more uplifting. Terpenes affect the taste, smell and specific effects of a strain — so if you haven’t been paying attention to the terpenes in your favorite flower, there’s no time like the present to start.

Common Cannabis Terpenes

There are thousands of terpenes, and each strain will have more than one present. While it may sound overwhelming to try to learn about all the different terpenes, most cannabis users only need to know a handful of common ones. This allows us to gain a better understanding of the science behind why you might prefer a sweet-smelling flower to one with a more earthy fragrance, or vice-versa.

Myrcene

In commercial cannabis, Myrcene is the most common terpene. Found in mangos, lemongrass, hops and Blue Dream, Myrcene has an earthy aroma much like cardamom and cloves. Also present in chamomile, it should be no surprise that this common compound is great for relaxation.

Limonene

As you may have guessed from its name, this citrus-smelling oil is common in lemons, oranges, and strains like Wrecking Ball. In addition to acting as a mood booster, Limonene also makes it easier for other terpenes to be absorbed by the body, boosting their effects.

Terpinolene

If you’re in search of more uplifting strains, then look for a strain with a heavy presence of Terpinolene. These strains shouldn’t be hard to find, as approximately 10% of strains are Terpinolene-dominant. Found in lilacs, cumin, and Golden Goat, Terpinolene not only acts as a mood-lifter, but also as an antioxidant that may help prevent cancer.

Ask the Experts.

So, the next time you see your favorite budtender, be sure to ask which terpenes are present in your favorite strains. Don’t be afraid to use that knowledge to branch out and try something new!

To learn more about which terpenes are in some of the most popular strains available today, check out our flower guide.